Quick Hits

*** The U.S. Army released its digital transformation strategy Oct. 20, outlining the service's goals for shifting the culture around how the service buys, employs, and handles technology to prepare for multidomain operations in the coming decade. The document outlines three objectives -- modernization, reform, and talent and partnerships -- with 13 lines of effort, which include syncing the Army's IT networks and infrastructure, increasing IT investment accountability via financial analytics, and strengthening partnerships through better data, systems and software interoperability.

Raj Iyer, Army CIO, previewed the strategy last week during a conference, calling for significant IT policy reform, from requirements to budgeting to talent management. In a statement announcing the document's public release, Iyer said the strategy is “about how we can fundamentally change how we operate as an Army through transformative digital technologies, empowering our workforce, and re-engineering our rigid institutional processes to be more agile.

*** Laurie Locascio, the Biden administration's nominee to lead the National Institute of Standards and Technology, had her confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Locasio, who had a long career at NIST as a lab director, division chief and acting deputy director, said in questioning that she would prioritize the cybersecurity of the internet of things and efforts to implement the May 2021 executive order on cybersecurity.